2-17-14 The Answer Sheet

The Answer Sheet:

The 2014 Presidents’ Day quiz

Here it is: the 2014 Presidents’ Day quiz. How much don’t you know? 1) Which president was the first to be born a U.S. citizen? a) James Madison b) Martin Van Buren c) John Quincy Adams d) Andrew Jackson 2) The Monroe Doctrine, introduced in 1823, declared that no European nation should from then on […]    

2 by Valerie Strauss / 35min hide  //  save

Veteran teacher: I’m sick of being called ‘burned out’

A veteran teacher sent me the following e-mail and agreed to let me publish it without her name. I thought it spoke to what a lot of veteran teachers are feeling, so here it is: I had a first-year teacher use the phrase “burned out” regarding some of the veteran teachers in my building recently. […]    

66 by Valerie Strauss / 6h 

 

All Week @ The Answer Sheet 2-16-14

The Answer Sheet: Why Presidents’ Day is slightly strangeMost federal holidays are clear-cut. On the Fourth of July, for example, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. On the other hand, Presidents’ Day is a slightly strange holiday for three main reasons: *There is no universal agreement on the actual name of the holiday. * There is no universal agreement on

1 by mike simpson / 5h 

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 2-17-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog:

Obama decries Uganda anti-gay law

Many homosexuals in sub-Saharan African countries have been severely discriminated against or in most cases, they are thrown in jail. Lesbians, for example, have been "deliberately targeted for sexual violence." Since the colonial-era, homosexuality has been illegal under a law that criminalizes sex acts - being defined as "one of the partners is infected with HIV, sex with minors o

by Katherine Louie / 7h hide  //  save

The Fight Against The Majority: Mini Uganda vs. The World (Or at least the Gay Agenda)

Well folks, Uganda has taken a step to improve itself. Read the full article at: http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/15/world/africa/uganda-anti-gay-bill/index.html?hpt=wo_c1The short story is this: Ugandan President, Yoweri Museveni, was persuaded by his science advisors to sign a bill, instating a law that will imprison people convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" for life. It includes clause

by Jay / 8h  

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog 2-16-14

Ms. Jablonski's Class Blog: The Jordan Davis Killing: Race, Guns and the Law...Can We Please Talk About These Things?Once again, eyes this week were on a Florida jury in a case of the shooting death of an unarmed black teenage boy, 17-year-old Jordan Davis, by a defendant claiming innocence under Florida's self defense laws.  Davis was a passenger in an SUV parked at a convenience store.  Michael

1 by mike simpson / 14h 

2-17-14 Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL:

“Sea Of Liberty” Looks Like An Excellent U.S. History Site

Monticello, the home of Thomas Jefferson, has just announced several new online education resources. The one that really stands out for me is Sea Of Liberty. After registering for free, teachers can create virtual classrooms and student can make lots of online interactive posters and projects using Monticello resources. I’m adding it to The Best Websites For Teaching & Learning About U.S. His

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

New Helpful Resources For Google+

Here are some new helpful resources that I’m adding to The Best Resources For Learning What Google+ Is All About: 12 Reasons Google+ Isn’t As Bad As You Think is from The Huffington Post. The Plus in Google Plus? It’s Mostly for Google is from The New York Times. 10 Growing Google+ Communities In Education is from Teach Thought. 28 Google+ Ed-Tech Communities for Educators, Instructional Designer

by Larry Ferlazzo / 1h 

Resources For “World Read Aloud Day”

March 5th is World Read Aloud Day in 2014. You might find The Best Resources For World Read Aloud Day useful….

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

The Best Posts, Articles & Lesson Plans On The Jordan Davis Tragedy & Verdict: Our “Classrooms Are Full Of Him”

Another young African-American man is dead and another verdict is in… Here are some useful articles and posts (I hope readers will contribute more): The Best Resources For Lessons On Trayvon Martin could be helpful. Fight With Us Too, Damnit (Educators and Jordan Davis) is by Jose Vilson. I took the quotation in the headline of this post from his post. Jordan Davis in our Classrooms is by Diana L

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

WRITE Institute Unveils New Website

Recent WRITE activity spotted in Woodland, CA classrooms during Seal of Excellence walkthrough. Impressive! pic.twitter.com/5PPkRU7biF — WRITE Institute (@WRITEinstitute) February 12, 2014 As I’ve often written in this blog, and as my co-author Katie Hull and I have written in our ESL book, The WRITE Institute is a great writing curriculum to use with English Language Learners. They have just un

by Larry Ferlazzo / 22min 

Around The Web In ESL/EFL/ELL

I’ve started a somewhat regular feature where I share a few posts and resources from around the Web related to ESL/EFL or to language in general that have caught my attention: Who ordered the McNuggets? is a thoughtful blog post by Scott Thornbury. Recent CCSS for ELLs Resource Roundup is by Diane Staehr Fenner. Writing skills practice from The British Council Learn English Teens site has excelle

by Larry Ferlazzo / 15min 

Fun Video: “What the Simpsons Sound Like in Other Countries”

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min hide  //  save

Video (& Writing Prompt): “A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow”

John McCarthy shared this short video clip of U.S. Olympic bobsledder Lolo Jones. She begins by sharing her favorite quote (though doesn’t cite the source and I can’t find it online, either): “A failure isn’t a failure if it prepares you for success tomorrow” I’m going to show the video to my students, along with writing that quotation on the board. Then, I’ll ask them to respond to this writing

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

From The Archives: “What Does It Mean To Be A Good Citizen?”

I’ve recently re-started an effort I’ve tried to do previously by regularly highlighting previous posts and articles I’ve shared in previous years that I think might be worth a second look. Last year, one of my New York Times posts for English Language Learners was titled “What Does It Mean To Be A Good Citizen?” Here’s an excerpt:

by Larry Ferlazzo / 2min 

Resources For International Mother Language Day

February 21st has been designated International Mother Language Day by UNESCO. You might be interested in The Best Resources For International Mother Language Day.

by Larry Ferlazzo / 54min hide  //  save

This Week’s Round-Up Of Useful Posts On Education Policy

Here are some recent useful posts on education policy issues: How Universal Pre-K Could Redistribute Wealth—Right Here, Right Now is from The Nation. Yes, I Am a Teacher and No, I Did Not Stay at a Holiday Inn Express Last Night is from Education Week. Common Core Curriculum Now Has Critics on the Left is from The New York Times. Vergara Show Trial Highlights Gates Foundation Snake Oil is by John

by Larry Ferlazzo / 6h 

YESTERDAY

Monday’s New Resources For the Sochi Olympics

Here are today’s new additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Top 10 viral videos of the 2014 Winter Olympics is from NBC. New Scientist shares the odds of getting injured in each Olympic sport. The 2014 Olympics By The Numbers is a neat NY Times interactive. Ancestral Enemies Meet at Olympics for a Toast to Amity is an intriguing NY Times article. Prime

by Larry Ferlazzo / 7h 

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Week… 2-16-14 …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EF

Larry Ferlazzo’s Websites of the Day… | …For Teaching ELL, ESL, & EFL: This Weekend’s New Sochi ResourcesHere are the latest additions to The Best Sites For Learning About The Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games: Our Favorite Moments of the Sochi Olympics (So Far) is from The Atlantic. Crazy Olympic team uniforms at Sochi is from The BBC. Jamaica Has an Official Song to Sync to Its Bobsled Run is

1 by mike simpson / 8h

2-17-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.:

Todd Mertz. IEA endorses Dillard for Governor. A desperate move.

- Todd Mertz is a teacher, union and political activist. Friends and Colleagues Illinois teachers and administrators have taken too many blows in the last couple of years.  We can’t afford another. The passage of SB7 in April of 2011 was a blow to Illinois teachers’ job security, attacking both tenure and seniority. It also diminished collective bargaining rights. It also tied teacher evaluations

by Fred Klonsky / 45min 

Ten minute drawing. Presidents Day.

by Fred Klonsky / 16min 

Tom Tully. “I for one am 100% behind the Dillard endorsement.”

  Teacher and NEA Director Tom Tully. - Tom Tully is a teacher and member of the Board of Directors of the National Education Association.  He notes that he is speaking for himself and not for the IEA or NEA. After some discussion with Tom about the Dillard endorsement, I offered him the opportunity to be a guest blogger and promised I would post it without comment. The following is my personal o

by Fred Klonsky / 8min 

Dillard resigned from ALEC in October. Did he tell ALEC?

I received word today that the IEA has a letter from Republican State Senator Kirk Dillard saying he resigned from ALEC in October. That’s October 2013. Just four months ago. Does ALEC know? He’s still on the ALEC website as Illinois Chairman. But it’s tough keeping those websites current. Do a Google search for any public announcement that he resigned and you come up bupkis. I asked IEA Director

by Fred Klonsky / 0min 

From the CTU: The Great Pension Caper.

From the Chicago Teachers Union: CHICAGO – The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) today released a report examining the true impact of pension cuts on the public sector workers living in our city’s neighborhoods. Three of the top four employers in Chicago are the City itself, the Chicago Public Schools and Cook County. These three entities employ over 90,000 people, all of whom depend on public pension

by Fred Klonsky / 12min 

Some IEA – Rauner history. A history of being pragmatic.

. The Illinois Education Association and the Illinois Retired Teachers Association have a long and rocky history together. But since I have become active in both, I have argued for reconciliation and common efforts where our interests converge. And respect for each other where there are differences. I am kicking myself this morning. Be careful what you ask for. The IRTA will be joining the IEA in

by Fred Klonsky / 11min hide  //  save

Retired Teachers Association pours more of our money down the black hole of the Kirk Dillard campaign.

There is no question that Bruce Rauner would make a terrible governor. The sad truth of the matter is that we will not elect a good governor in November. None is running. We will elect a very bad one because very bad candidates are running. Our chance to elect a good governor passed when the state’s labor leaders sat on their hands this past couple of years. They could have been organizing a pro-

1 by Fred Klonsky / 2h  

2-16-14 Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher

Fred Klonsky | Daily posts from a retired public school teacher who is just looking at the data.: What will the people think of us if we tell them lies?In a post on the IEA’s Kirk Dillard endorsement, Glen Brown comments and quotes from something I wrote: “It’s a plan that will fail. In the 2010 Republican Primary there were about 750,000 voters in Illinois. We can expect roughly the same in March

1 by mike simpson / 7h